CORVALLIS, Ore. – A task force that conducted one of the most comprehensive analyses of global "forage fish" populations issued its report this week, which strongly recommends implementing more conservative catch limits for these crucial prey species. The Lenfest Forage Fish Task Force calls for the harvest reduction of sardines, anchovies and other forage fish so that they can continue to serve as critical prey for larger species, including salmon, cod and tuna, as well as for dolphins, whales, penguins and seabirds. The report concludes that the fish are "twice as ...

With multifamily vacancy rates in the Delaware Valley at five-year lows, renting an apartment is tougher than ever. But stressed-out renters have a new friend in town: the Philly Apartment Living blog. The blog, a service of 4 Walls, Inc., provides fresh, fun content that will help renters save time, money, or plan the perfect night out. The blog links to 4 Walls' extensive database of Philadelphia area apartment rental listings. "It's a one-stop resource for Philadelphia renters," said 4 Walls COO Jackie Koehler. "Whether you want to rent an apartment, ...

SEATTLE: April 2, 2012 – The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that pediatric healthcare providers promote active healthy living by encouraging children to play outside as much as possible. Being outdoors correlates strongly with physical activity for children, which is important for preventing obesity in the preschool years and on through adulthood. A new study led by Pooja Tandon, MD, MPH, of Seattle Children's Research Institute found that nearly half of preschoolers in a sample representing four million U.S. children did not have even one parent-supervised ...

QUT's first foray into space is bound to be a giant step for mankind. Dr Martin Castillo from Queensland University of Technology's (QUT) Science and Engineering Faculty, and researcher for the university's micro-gravity drop tower, in Brisbane, Australia, has partnered with the United States Air Force to fund world-first research into the development of ZBLAN glass. Dr Castillo said the special glass will be the first QUT project to be launched into space. "True ZBLAN glass fibres can only be made in the absence of gravity," he said. "This glass contains a variety ...

Since its inception in 1984, L-3 Nautronix has established itself as a true global leader in the maritime manufacturing and defence sectors, supplying through-water communications, portable tracking devices, navigation tools and geospatial support systems to Australian and international maritime customers. Nautronix was originally founded just south of Perth in Fremantle, Western Australia to satisfy a niche oil and gas industry requirement: establishing offshore acoustic control and undersea positioning systems just off the west coast. The young company grew quickly, ...

CHICAGO -- Many children with the bone cancer, osteosarcoma, die after the tumor spreads to their lungs. In a critical step toward finding a way to stop metastasis, researchers at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center say they have discovered an agent that prevents this type of cancer from spreading to the lungs in mice with the disease. The new agent stops or inhibits "ezrin," a protein vital to the spread of osteosarcoma, say the researchers who presented their findings today at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2012. If ...

Washington, DC — A cholesterol drug commonly prescribed to reduce cardiovascular disease risk restores blood vessel function in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease, according to a study in the April 4 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. The drug simvastatin (Zocor®) — which works by slowing cholesterol production — also improves learning and memory in adult, but not aged Alzheimer's model mice. The findings add to a growing body of evidence that early treatment with statins protects against some of the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's disease destroys nerve ...

AMHERST, Mass. – Perhaps no other biochemist in the world has his own baseball card, but University of Massachusetts Amherst doctoral student Elih M. Velázquez-Delgado, who gave up a pitching career for science, does. Now the only stats he cares about are experimental data, because, he says, "I fell in love with the fact that I can see a molecule. I can actually see an enzyme and watch how it functions. That captured me." A native of Puerto Rico who pitched for five seasons in the minors, the Arizona and California Leagues, for the Oakland A's and San Francisco Giants' ...

Goldwind Australia is helping protect the nation's environmental future, one rotation at a time. China-based Goldwind Science and Technology Co became the world's fourth largest manufacturer of wind turbine generator technology by market share in 2010. Today, the company operates more than 11,000 turbines around the world (more than 15GW of installed capacity), and a majority of these machines are located in wind farms across China. The company has experienced rapid growth since its inception in 1998: between 2000 and 2009, Goldwind doubled its factory output every year. ...

Since 1986, Barker Boy Fresh has provided quality pre-prepared produce to Australians across the nation from its "clean and green" location in the Adelaide Hills. Over the course of its 25 year history, the company has earned itself a stellar reputation within the food production industry for its quality assurance and personable customer service, helping it to become one of South Australia's largest processors of produce. In the late 90s, Barker Boy built a new state of the art premises located in Mount Barker, South Australia and then a sister plant in the ...

CHICAGO -- Researchers have found an association between excess body weight and an increased risk for cancer recurrence in men with clinically localized prostate cancer. "Men diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer and who have excess body weight as indicated by a higher-than-normal body mass index (BMI) have an increased risk for cancer recurrence after treatment," said Vincent L. Freeman, M.D., M.P.H., associate professor in the division of epidemiology and biostatistics in the School of Public Health at the University of Illinois in Chicago, Ill. Freeman presented ...

CHICAGO — Research on an investigational DNA methylation test for colorectal cancer demonstrated that the only clinical variable that influenced test results was age, according to results presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 - April 4. "There was a progressive increase in background methylation levels that varied widely between methylation markers tested as a patient aged," said David Ahlquist, M.D., professor of medicine and a consultant in gastroenterology and hepatology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. "For example, median background ...

CHICAGO — The combined effects of exercise plus caffeine consumption may be able to ward off skin cancer and also prevent inflammation related to other obesity-linked cancers. "We found that this combination treatment can decrease sunlight-caused skin cancer formation in a mouse model," said Yao-Ping Lu, Ph.D., associate research professor of chemical biology and director of skin cancer prevention at the Rutgers Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy in Piscataway, N.J. He presented these findings at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 - April 4. "I believe we ...

As the mining and resources industries fuel Australia's economic growth, companies such as Aerison Pty Ltd are working to lessen the impact of these projects on the environment. Since 1993, Western Australia-based Aerison has completed over 700 environmental projects ranging from air pollution and dust control solutions at mine sites to VOC destruction technology implementation and acoustic noise control systems at various mechanical facilities. Though the company was originally known as HPS Environmental, then as Enerflex Environmental in 2005, and finally as Aerison ...

CHICAGO — Hispanic women in Puerto Rico who have triple-negative breast cancer share similar disease characteristics with Hispanic women in California, suggesting that race plays a significant role in the presentation of triple-negative breast cancer among Hispanic women. These study results were presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 - April 4. "We think the fact that our patients are geographically located outside the mainland and still have the same disease characteristics suggests that the biology of the disease plays a major role in how ...

Tswana Pride has overcome incredible adversity in the last three years to become the largest poultry producing company in Botswana. In 2009, the company's abattoir burnt down and had to be entirely rebuilt at a cost of 90 million BWP. The new facility, which opened for operation in mid-2011, was constructed to the latest European standards and today it is Botswana's biggest, most state-of-the-art abattoir. When the abattoir was destroyed by fire, Tswana Pride used the opportunity to build the most technologically sophisticated facility in the region. Although the company ...

CHICAGO -- Although cancer recurrence may be the overriding fear for many survivors, nearly half of survivors from a recently presented study died from other conditions. These results indicate survivors could potentially benefit from a more comprehensive, less cancer-focused approach to their health, according to lead researcher Yi Ning, M.D., Sc.D., assistant professor in the department of epidemiology and community health at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and associate research member at VCU Massey Cancer Center in Richmond, Va. Ning presented the results at ...

CHICAGO — A combination of nab-paclitaxel and carboplatin for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer may be a promising option for patients ineligible for treatment with bevacizumab, according to data presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 - April 4. "The combination of carboplatin and nab-paclitaxel demonstrates promising efficacy with tolerable toxicity in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) ineligible for therapy with bevacizumab," said Gregory A. Otterson, M.D., professor of internal medicine, co-director of the thoracic oncology ...

The trailer for a new British film reveals an edgy and sophisticated work of cinematography which will likely interest wide audiences in the United States as well as the UK. Stunning music, scenes, acting, and photography combine to make this a gem in the genre of independent films. Vampire Zoo has been written as a 6 part TV series and also a feature film. The creative team behind Vampire Zoo is comprised of a coalition of filmmakers - Clockwork Productions, JTMR Films and Foot in the Door Productions - who are attempting to raise the funds to make the project independently ...

CHICAGO — Eating cruciferous vegetables after breast cancer diagnosis was associated with improved survival among Chinese women, according to results presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 - April 4. "Breast cancer survivors can follow the general nutritional guidelines of eating vegetables daily and may consider increasing intake of cruciferous vegetables, such as greens, cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli, as part of a healthy diet," said Sarah J. Nechuta, M.P.H., Ph.D., a postdoctoral research fellow at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. She ...

CHICAGO — Patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer treated with the androgen inhibitor abiraterone and who had high baseline hormone levels had longer overall survival compared with patients with low hormone levels, according to data presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 - April 4. If confirmed, these data mean that levels of hormones, specifically adrenal androgens, may provide physicians with another way to predict the efficacy of therapy in patients with metastatic, castration-resistant prostate cancer, according to Charles J. Ryan, ...

PISCATAWAY, NJ – Underage female drinkers have been at a growing risk of fatal car crashes in recent years -- so much that they've caught up with their male counterparts, according to a study in the May issue of the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. Back in 1996, the U.S. had a gender split when it came to underage drinkers' odds of being involved in a fatal car crash: at any given blood-alcohol level, young men had a higher risk of a fatal crash than young women did. But by 2007, the new study found, that gender gap had closed. The exact reasons are not clear. ...

Allegations of widespread, sustained torture and other human rights violations by the Government of Sudan and Janjaweed forces against non-Arabic-speaking civilians are corroborated in a study published in this week's PLoS Medicine. In the study medical forensic experts reviewed the medical records of patients seen at a clinic in Darfur. The authors, co-led by Alexander Tsai based at Harvard University and Mohammed Eisa based at Physicians for Human Rights, both in Cambridge, USA, conclude: "The widespread, organized, and sustained pattern of attacks documented in our ...

A study in this week's PLoS Medicine suggests that increasing height and, among women who have never taken menopausal hormone therapy, increased body mass index are risk factors for developing ovarian cancer. These findings are important as in high income countries, the average height and average body mass index of women have increased by about 1 cm and 1 kg/m2 respectively per decade. These findings suggest that if all other factors that affect ovarian cancer risk had remained constant, the increases in height and weight among women would have resulted in ovarian cancer ...

In this week's PLoS Medicine, Peter Bloland and colleagues from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lay out the agency's priorities for health systems strengthening efforts. To guide its support of public health in low- and middle-income countries around the world, the CDC proposes to focus its investments on strengthening six key public health functions that would contribute the most towards health systems strengthening efforts as a whole and have the greatest impact on improving the public's health. These include ensuring the availability of critical ...